Melissa Linkous, president of the Springhill Neighborhood Association, has worked tirelessly since 2003 to secure the old and historic district designation. Linkous says the process started as a grass roots effort. When she moved into the neighborhood all the houses were painted white and many showed their age with peeling paint. Things started to change after one neighbor painted his house with traditional Victorian colors. Other neighbors soon followed suit.

"Our old and historic district designation request was merely a result of us all coming together with a common goal: the preservation and protection of our homes and all of the hard work we had put into their restoration," Linkous explained.

Linkous continued, "We wanted to preserve and protect Springhill's architectural integrity and maintain its character. We have invested in the neighborhood and we have invested in the city. We live here and we want to protect our investment."

The Springhill area is located immediately to the northwest of the intersection of Cowardin and Semmes Avenues. It was one of Richmond's first streetcar suburbs and Linkous explained that is was and still is a working class neighborhood. The district has a large variety of architectural styles including Italianate, Victorian, Arts & Crafts, and 1950’s cottages. The oldest house is circa 1850.

Linkous explained that the neighborhood's "architectural diversity mirrors its social diversity; our differences compliment each other and we work well together." The neighborhood worked so well together, in fact, that 78% of the residents were in favor of the district designation. This is the highest rate of support for an old and historic district that the city has seen.

Historic Richmond Foundation’s experience of promoting and helping to establish city old and historic districts allowed us to be of assistance to the Springhill Neighborhood Association. The Foundation advised the Association on the city ordinances governing old and historic districts, provided technical support and legal advice and spoke in support of the district at all hearings.

As Linkous noted, Historic Richmond Foundation was a resource for demystifying the complicated and convoluted process of securing an old and historic designation.

The boundaries for the Springhill Old & Historic District as originally proposed were Canoe Run Park to the West, Riverside Drive to the North, Corwardin Avenue to the East, and Semmes Avenue to the South; however, they were modified to exclude the businesses on Semmes and Corwardin and River Towers and its adjacent parking lot.

Historic Richmond Foundation extends its sincere congratulations to Melissa Linkous and the new Springhill Old & Historic District.

Monumental News:

The Monument Replication Project is Complete

On September 6, the replica of the monument memorializing the 72 victims of the 1811 Richmond Theatre fire was installed under the front portico at Monumental Church. The marble replica replaces the irreparably damaged original monument.

Decades of exposure to pollutants caused the demise of the monument. The severity of the damage was first revealed in 1999 when the funerary urn capping the memorial toppled to the ground. A conservation study concluded that damage was too extensive for conventional restoration techniques to work. The only viable choice was to dismantle the original monument and replace it with a replica.

Historic Richmond Foundation in partnership with the William Byrd Branch of the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities (APVA) undertook the challenge of creating the replica.

The Monument Replication Project took over three years to complete. It became an international effort involving artisans, scientists, preservationists, and conservationists combining traditional and cutting edge technology to create the replica. Cameras were rolling the entire time to capture the unpredictable path this project took.

The marble replica was carved in Kilkeel, Ireland by S. McConnell & Sons. Leslie and Wesley McConnell came from Ireland to supervise the installation of the monument. The installation went smoothly and was completed in one day.

The new monument will be unveiled before the showing of the documentary at the October 7, 2005 fundraiser, "A Monumental Premiere."

Phase II is Complete

Phase II focused on mechanical issues and cost $600,000. Phase II mechanical systems are critical to sustaining the work completed in Phase I and to the building as a whole. The installation of air conditioning and a dehumidification system will stabilize the building by providing a regulated environment. Phase II work has not negatively impacted the historic fabric of the building and all architectural issues related to the installation of each system were addressed.

The mechanical systems put in place in Phase II will ensure the longevity of the restoration of Phase III which will focus on the restoration of the interior surfaces: plaster, wood, and paint.

UPDATE! Patteson-Schutte House Saved: Historic Richmond Foundation Rescues One of Richmond's Last 18th-Century Houses

The Patteson-Schutte House, located on Kildare Drive off of Forest Hill Avenue, dates to the mid-18th century and is one of the oldest frame houses in Richmond. Historic Richmond Foundation, along with many preservationists and neighborhood activists, worked to save the house which was threatened with demolition.

Historic Richmond Foundation worked closely with the developer and building owner, Mr. John Nolde, Jr. of the Nolde Company, to ensure the building's safety. Historic Richmond Foundation has paid $212,000 to purchase the house to protect and secure its future. The purchase agreement allows the house to remain on its original site with enough surrounding land to maintain something of its historic setting.

Historic Richmond Foundation will place protective interior and exterior easements in the deed to its buyer to ensure the property's integrity in perpetuity. The convenants and easements will transfer with every future sale of the property. Historic Richmond Foundation also will retain a right of first refusal on the house which will allow the Foundation to re-purchase the house when it comes up for sale in the future if the building seems threatened.

Historic Richmond Foundation became involved when it became clear that the house was in imminent danger of being destroyed after a demolition permit had been issued.

A Foundation Trustee contacted Mr. Nolde and asked what the Foundation could do to save the house. Mr. Nolde was receptive to Historic Richmond Foundation's offer.

Historic Richmond Foundation retained an engineer to make an examination of the house and to determine if it could be moved to avoid demolition, if necessary. As Historic Richmond Foundation continued discussions, Mr. Nolde generously offered to redraw the house lot and to redesign the plans for his subdivision in order to allow the house to stay in its original site.

Historic Richmond Foundation will now seek a buyer for the property who will care for and restore this important Richmond house.

Calder Loth, Senior Architectural Historian with the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, stated in a brief report that the house retains many original features including original woodwork, baseboards, doors, and window frames. Loth states, "while not a grand house, it was a residence of the gentry class, a carefully constructed, distinctly Virginia structure worthy of preservation. While originally built as a Chesterfield County planter's residence, today it is among the very few 18th century frame structures within the city limits of Richmond."

The Patteson-Schutte House is currently not on the State or National Regestries of historic places. The property is clearly worthy of placement on both registers.

Historic Richmond Foundation and everyone interested in preserving the tangible history of Richmond are grateful to John Nolde for his willingness to assist in saving this landmark.

Historic Richmond Foundation - The William Byrd Branch of APVA Preservation Virginia